The Other Side of Life
by Woodsballer
Summary: A young scientist is given a once-in-a-lifetime chance. But it will also be the greatest lesson she'll ever learn. Please excuse the Genre choice. I didn't know what else to put it as. See warning inside. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

The Other Side of Life

The Other Side of Life

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. It is copyrighted to Nintendo.**

**A/N: This story is supposed to be set about one year after Pokemon have become what they are modernly used for. True knowledge of them is still young. And since I don't keep up with the series very much, this only contains first gen. Pokemon.**

**Warning!: Some chapters may contain scenes too graphic for younger readers. Viewer discretion is advised.**

**1: Introductions**

The lab's white front doors burst open and a tall burly man in a red vest strode in. "Morning, Professor," he said in a voice that seemed too cheery for his appearance.

"Ah, Bruce. Right on time. Good batch?"

"Yep." Bruce handed the man four red and white pokeballs. "Two Rattata, a Pidgey, and surprisingly a Growlithe."

"Growlithe? Really? They aren't supposed to be anywhere near these parts."

"I know. Surprised me too. I better get going. Wife's making meatloaf for dinner."

"Of course." The big man walked out the door. "Christine!"

A young woman, seventeen of age, stepped into the main room. Her red hair was tied into a ponytail, showing off her face. Gentle brown eyes were fixed over a small nose. Most men would consider her fairly good-looking, though not necessarily drop-dead-gorgeous. She came up to the Professor. "Yes, Professor?"

"Take these out and put them in the field."

"Of course." She took the four orbs and went to the rear of the building, passing several labs on her way. She stopped for a second and peered through the glass. A small Caterpie was lying on the center table, several computers reading vital signs. It wasn't in any harm, she knew. But the sight always made her stop for a moment.

When she got to the field, she laid the pokeballs out and released the Pokemon. For a second, they all stopped and looked around for a second in confusion. "Welcome to your new home," she said with a cheery voice. "You'll like living here. Go ahead and explore a bit."

Most of them turned and started to slowly wander off, the Pidgey quickly flying off when it saw a flock of its kind. Yet the Growlithe didn't move. It looked up at her, a sort of longing in its eyes.

Chris knew that look. The little thing was scared. She crouched down and scratched it behind the ear. "Don't worry. I promise that nothing is going to happen to you."

The Growlithe stepped up and rubbed itself against her leg. Then after one more look, turned and padded off. She watched it go for a moment before returning inside.

"GET IN HERE!"

Chris burst through the door. A large Ratticate was being held tight to the room's table by three large scientists. Assistants stood around the edge in fear. Even though it was being subdued, the creature fought back, biting and clawing when it could.

Chris hated moments like this. If anyone were to walk in right then, they could easily call it animal cruelty. She even had doubts herself quite often…

"Chris, do something!"

She turned and grabbed a small syringe from the counter. Ducking under a weak slash, she came forward and closed her eyes as she pushed the needle cleanly into the Ratticate's shoulder. _"It's for the greater good."_ With a push, she injected the sedative.

The creature instantly calmed down as the drug worked its way through the system. The men let off their strength as the creature went into a state of semi-consciousness. One of them wiped his brow and turned to her. "Good job, Chris."

She nodded and dropped the syringe back onto the table. Then she left as quickly as seemed appropriate, going into a jog as she turned to corner.

That night, Chris was charged with closing up. She did her rounds quickly. After dark, the complex was much creepier. A few maintenance men were still around, and she made sure to get their names.

The last place to check was the field gate. She walked up to the steel segment and gave it a hard jerk, rattling the lock but proving it was secure.

Just as she was about to turn, a figure caught her eye. She turned back. A lone figure was sitting on a hill, looking over in her direction. It was the Growlithe from earlier.

From the distant, it was hard to see, but she could feel a sense of loneliness and fear emanating from the little form. She paused to sit uncomfortably under the creature's gaze before turning and making her way home.

After Christine showered and climbed into her nightgown, she made her way around her dimly lit bed to the nightstand. Sitting under the lamp was a small stone carving she was found at an archeological dig during her later training. It was of an old Eon goddess. It was a combining of all Eevee forms: the tail of a Vaporeon, Umbreon ears, a Flareon tuft, and other features. The little statue had intrigued her right from the start and when the other scientists agreed there was nothing to be done with it, they allowed her to take it.

She now had a custom of running her hand over it every night. Almost a good luck tradition. This night, it felt oddly warm, bringing her hand over it a second time. _"Oh well. It must have been sitting under the lamp too long."_

She crawled under the covers and flipped off the lamp, quickly falling into slumber.

Chris was standing in an eerily empty space. It was even deeper than empty. There was nothing. She was standing on nothing; nothing was around her but a white glow. She twisted around, looking for some landmark. This was easily the strangest and most distinct dream she had ever had.

"_It will soon be more than a dream."_

The words were right in her head, but they weren't hers, like someone had put them there. She turned on the spot.

Right behind her, a marvelous creature sat, watching her. Its appearance took her breath away. It looked like one of Eevee's evolutions, but which she could say. It seemed to be EVERY evolution at once. And yet no one part remained as it did for more than a moment. The image flowed from one form to another like water, captivating Chris until it spoke again.

"_This state of existence will now become as real as your former."_

"What are you talking about?"

"_Humans are a stain on the face of earth. You harm Pokemon for the sake of your science."_

"That? I don't do that. My superiors do."

"_And you aid your superiors, so you share the fault. You must repay for your errors."_

Chris took a step back. "What? You aren't going to kill me, are you?"

The being shook her head. _"No. We Spirits are not so crude. We teach. You will live the life of a Pokemon."_

Chris perked up. "Well that doesn't sound so bad." She instantly started thinking of all the things she could learn.

"_You will not be able to share this experience," _the being said, reading her thoughts. _"They will be yours and yours only."_

Chris's spirits dimmed a bit, but still remained fairly high. "Wait, if I'm a Pokemon, what will I do about my job at the lab?"

"_You will live both lives. When you slumber in one form, you shall awaken in the other."_ The being began to glow blue. _"Thus shall you live until the lesson is learned."_

There was a flash of light. Sarah suddenly had the sensation of flying a million-miles-an-hour before it stopped an instant later, leaving her in some new place.

It was dark. The ground under her belly was hard and damp. A weak light was beginning to show through the mouth of a cave a ways off.

She stood up and reflexively stretched. As her arms moved out, she got a glimpse of them. They were orange with black stripes.

Remembering what had just happened, she quickly ran to the edge of the cave and out into the light. Everything was bright and clear. Her new nose picked up every scent possible, even down to the sap in the nearby trees.

A small brook could be heard nearby. She quickly ran to it on all fours, yet feeling completely natural. When she arrived, she peered down into the clear water.

Looking back up at her was a young Growlithe.


	2. Chapter 2

2: A New Life

**2: A New Life**

Chris took a look over her new body. Judging from her size, she couldn't be more than a month old.

"Flare! Come back to the den!" Her mother was calling her.

Now how did she know that? She hadn't spent two minutes in this body. And yet the knowledge was there. She was Flare, a young Growlithe, and had two brothers: Blaze and Torch. Her mother and father were Arcanines.

She jogged back to the cave, a large Arcanine meeting her at the entrance. "You know you shouldn't be out here alone," the mother said.

"But why? Daddy goes out on his own." Where were these words coming from? It's almost like she couldn't control herself. She merely spoke.

"Because your daddy is grown up. He knows the forest and its dangers and how to avoid them. Now get back inside." The mother nudged her back in with her nose.

She walked back inside and sat by the wall. Two other Growlithe, her siblings, had woken up and were wrestling across the floor. For the time being, she simply sat and watched, using the chance to watch young pups in their own environment up close.

A few hours later, another large Arcanine slowly lumbered into the cave. Chris looked up at it and gasped slightly. It was her father, but something was wrong. He was limping and several small cuts bled from his side.

Her mother quickly jumped up and ran over, supporting him to their bed. "What happened?"

"I…stumbled across one of _them._ It tried to fight, but I scared it off." He lay down with a grunt and breathed deeply. He looked to be in extreme pain. The other cubs gathered around, looking up in fear. He looked down on them with a look of love. "I think it's time we told them."

The mother took a step back. "W…what?"

"They have to learn sometime. It might as well be now."

The mother looked over him, the cubs, and back to him before nodding silently.

"Come here, children." The cubs moved closer and sat. "I am about to teach you one of the most important lessons of your life." The boys grinned; Chris did only slightly. "In this world, there are two types of beings. There are those like us, who live in nature. There are hundreds of different creatures, each unique."

"You mean like those furry things with the huge tails?" Blaze asked.

"Yes, just like those. Most of them you do not have to fear. But there is another type of being that you must avoid at all costs: the humans!"

Inwardly, Chris exploded in joy. No one had ever truly learned what wild Pokemon thought of humans, and here she was getting it straight.

"The humans are evil beings. They strip nature to the bone. They infect it with pollution. But there is a bigger reason you must fear them. A group of humans called 'trainers' capture those like us and force us to fight each other."

Blaze laughed and fell to the floor. "Come on, Dad. We've heard that horror story before."

Torch look quite startled. "A…are you serious? There are ones like us that fight each other?"

The father nodded his head, stopping Blaze's laughter. "It is very true."

"What do they look like?"

"When you see one, you'll know. Now go outside and play a bit. I need to rest."

Chris didn't really feel like playing. Instead, she went to the back of the cave and settled down for a nap. For several minutes, her thoughts kept her from sleep. This was the first time a human has gotten a real look at Pokemon's views and they turn out to make the human's look like monsters. It was on this note that she drifted to sleep.

It seemed that not a moment after she shut her eyes, then they opened again, this time somewhere completely different. There was a solid white ceiling over her. She reached up a hand, her human hand.

She twisted over. A digital clock read 6:32 in big red numbers. It was time to get ready for work.

As she showered, she thought about last night. It was the most vivid dream she had ever had. She could remember every detail as if she had lived it. She decided to ignore it for now. There was another person at the lab that was well studied in dreams. He could help.

At the lab, she happened to meet him in the lobby. "Hey, Brian. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"I had this really vivid dream last night, and I'm wondering if it means anything. I was…" Something stopped her. She knew the words she wanted to say, but they wouldn't come. She tried again, "It was…" The words seemed stuck in her throat.

A voice came into her head. _"The stories are for you alone and no others."_

She recognized the voice. It was the entity from her dream.

She shook her head. "Forget it," she said as she turned and walked off.

The bathroom brought some solitary relief. Alone, she went to the closest mirror and looked straight through it. "Alright, what's going on?"

The image in the mirror began to slowly flow and mold until it changed from her face to the strange Eon from last night. _"You know what is going on. I explained last night."_

"No. That was a dream!"

"_And yet here we are again. A dream it may have been to Chris, but it was not to Flare."_

Chris looked at the strange creature in slow realization. "This is real. I'm not just imagining it?" It shook its head. "You mean I actually live as a Pokemon?"

"_You do."_

Great! The biggest thing to ever happen to a human and she couldn't share it with anybody!

"_The stories you may not share, but lessons of one are for all mankind."_

"What's that supposed to mean?"

The creature gave a sort of smile. _"You will know."_ It disappeared in another swirl and Chris' face returned to the mirror.

She was about to scream and try getting it back when the door creaked open. She quickly turned on the water and pretended to wash her face.

Chris read over the schedule. The young Growlithe that arrived yesterday was in for some basic testing. And she was supposed to help.

Promptly at 2 o'clock, the canine was brought in and set on the table. She came over with a light sedative and injected it into the creature's arm. It cringed, but didn't fight back. She gave it a quick scratch behind the ear.

The Professor came up beside her. "Ok, start with a blood test. Then take a small muscle sample. If possible, I also want to take some stomach samples."

Chris nodded slowly. She got another needle and turned back to Growlithe. It hadn't moved at all. She put in the needle carefully and took only a small amount of red liquid. The creature looked at her as she handed that needle to another and picked up a small scalpel. "Don't worry. This won't hurt at all."

It blinked and let out a heavy sigh before returning its gaze forward. It barely moved for the rest of the operation.


	3. Chapter 3

3: Trouble

**3: Trouble**

**Disclaimer: Once again, Pokemon is copyrighted to Nintendo and is not used here for profit in any way. Chris, Flare, and plot are mine and may not be used without my permission. Any resemblance to anyone else's work is coincidence.**

Flare ran through the woods near the cave, trying to keep up with her brothers. It was her third outing as a Growlithe and she was starting to adore the time she had. Chris had never had a real family after her parents died. So she relished the love given to her by her new family.

The boys finally stopped to wrestle in a small clearing. "What…would you do…if a human came?" Torch asked while they tumbled.

Blaze pushed away and took on a fierce pose. "I'd show him a thing or two about messing with us." He clawed the air.

"You heard what Daddy said," Flare said as they started to wrestle again. "If we see a human, we should hide and get back to the cave when it's safe."

"Dad's old," Blaze said back. "He doesn't know what he's talking about."

A large crash drew their attention and the boys stopped, one on top of the other. Something covered in brown fur was coming up on the other side of a bush. It spoke in some kind of strange language, but they could somehow understand it. "What it! I'm trying to walk here!"

"_It's a human!" _She didn't know why, but Chris felt fear at the sight. Flare's body locked up and it suddenly became hard to breathe.

It started to come closer. Flare and Blaze quickly jumped back behind a bush. When she turned back, Torch was still lying on his back in the clearing. "Torch!" she said in a harsh whisper. "Get out of there!"

But he didn't move. He was paralyzed in fear.

The man finally turned and spotted the young Growlithe. "Well, if it isn't a young Growlithe. A fire Pokemon would certainly come in handy." He pulled out a red and white orb.

"_A pokeball!"_ "Torch, MOVE!"

He finally twisted over onto all fours and made a break for it. But he wasn't fast enough. The trainer hurled to ball and it crashed into the back of Torch's head.

Time seemed to slow as Torch's body was converted into energy and sucked inside the sphere. Blaze screamed and ran. But Flare staid, watching. The orb shook twice before settling, a green light appearing on its front.

The man walked over and picked up the ball. "Welcome to the team, Growlithe." He turned and started to walk away.

Flare had had enough. She crept back out of the bush and ran to the den.

Blaze had already explained what happened. Their mother was crying; their father was trying to get up, but his injuries were still bad enough to prevent him from doing it. He saw Flare walk in. "What happened?"

"He was…captured."

Their mother stopped for a moment, then she went into another crying fit. Blaze joined her a moment later. Father put his face to the sky and screamed in fury.

Chris watched it all, inwardly joining in their sorrow. Even if she hadn't known him for long, Torch was her brother, and there was a bond that couldn't be broken.

She knew father would want to do something, but he wasn't close to being able. But the sight of him trying brought something else up in her soul: anger.

She looked at Blaze. For all his toughness, he was crying just like Mother. When the time came, he wouldn't be able to help. But she could.

Without a word, she turned and sprinted out of the den. Mother cried for her to come back, but she ignored them and kept running all the way back to the clearing. There was a scent to the air that wasn't familiar to her, but Chris recognized it enough to know it was the trainer's. Flare set off on a dead run through the woods. _"Hold on, Blaze. I'm coming."_

Later that night, Flare was forced to stop and rest, sending Chris back to her home.

Chris walked out into the pasture. The young Growlithe sat next the wall watching her. In the few days since the operation, the Growlithe always followed her whenever she was around. But it rarely came closer than ten yards at a time; it simply stayed back and watched. Chris in return felt some kind of strange connection to the creature. It was odd, like she knew it in some way, but didn't quite know how.

That day, it seemed to get the courage to come closer. She was putting feed into the troughs for the few Ponytas when it slowly walked up and sat next to her leg.

Seeing it, she crouched down. "Hey, there," she said softly as she moved her hand over its head. A feeling stopped her hand. Under the fur was a long jagged scar.

She scratched its head one last time, the little piece of knowledge discarded. The Growlithe sat watching as she left to go about her tasks.

After Chris returned to slumber and Flare awoke, she set off once again on her hunt. The scent took her out of the forest and across the plains. The sun shown overhead and the air was clear, giving her a strange sense of adventure. But she only relished the feeling for a minute before returning her mind to the task.

She ran at a light pace all day, finally ending when dusk approached and she entered a new patch of woods. Limbs exhausted, she collapsed onto a pile of leaves. Despite being tired, she didn't feel at all sleepy. She simply needed to rest a bit before going for food.

She never got the chance. Minutes after lying down, a crunch forced her to sit up. A scent blew across her nose. It was similar to the human's but slightly different. Another trainer was coming!

She jumped up and leapt through a bush for protection. As she did, a branch reached out grabbed her head, tearing along the base of her ear. She yelped as she tumbled to the ground, paw flying to her head. The spot stung badly and was damp with blood.

There was another crunch of leaves, this one dangerously close. "Oh, poor thing," a deep voice said from over her. A tall man in a red vest was looking down. "You must be hurt. Here, I'll take you to a place where you can rest and recover." The man took out red and white orb.

Flare panicked and tried to get up and run. But her legs were already too spent. She could do nothing as the orb came down and touched her forehead. The world vanished as her body suddenly disappeared and she was pulled inside.

Flare was terrified. She didn't move, speak, or even breathe. She didn't know were she was. It didn't even feel like she had a body anymore. It was like she was just there. And yet she was also slightly intrigued. She was the first human to be inside of a pokeball.

After a short time, she finally forced herself to relax. And it did feel strangely relaxing. It felt as if she were floating in a pool, only there was no pool and she had no body to float in. Her mind became at ease suspended in the strange container. For a time, she forgot about the horror of what had happened completely.

Until hours later. Even in her relaxed state after running for a whole day, she had not slept. The white emptiness around her cracked and she was suddenly flown out of the sphere. She felt a rush of wind as her body materialized. She was in a large pasture that looked eerily familiar.

"Welcome to your new home," a cheery voice said behind her. A voice that was too familiar. She spun on the spot and looked up…at herself!

But that wasn't possible! She was here, how could she be there? But of course she was two different beings, and so could live in separate places.

That suddenly put two and two together in Flare's head. If her other body was here, that only meant that SHE was the Growlithe at the lab!


	4. Chapter 4

4: The Pain of the Afflicted

**4: The Pain of the Afflicted**

**Disclaimer: Pokemon is copyrighted to Nintendo, not me.**

**Warning!!: This chapter contains some strong scenes that may be inappropriate for younger readers. Viewer discretion is adviced.**

**A/N: I bet none of you saw THAT coming! Can I do a plot twist or what? Continue on to read the concluding chapter!**

Chris awoke with a start. She rushed through her morning routine and arrived at the lab as soon as she could, where she instantly went out to the pasture.

Flare was sitting up on a hill forty yards away. The sight of her brought Chris out of a jog she didn't realize she was in. She went the rest of the way walking slowly, the two locked in eye contact.

When she finally reached the top, she fell to her knees. "God, I am so sorry, Flare."

The small creature looked up with a sort of "about time" look. But beneath that was a look hope.

And even below that, Chris new there was sadness and loneliness. She hugged the canine tightly. "I'm going to get you out of here. I can't do it now or today, but I WILL get you out."

A sound approaching forced the two apart. Chris went back to her duties, not getting a chance to return to the field at all that day.

When Flare awoke, she was in a far corner of the field, lying under a group of trees. Alone. Her thoughts returned to her brother, who was also alone somewhere. He was probably in a worse situation than she was.

And Mother is probably terrified right now.

A man came from around the trees and placed a hand on her side. Flare yelped and tried to get away, but he held her tight. "_Shhh. _Calm down. Nothing's going to happen to you." She struck out, but he caught her paw mid-swing. He started to carry her off towards the main building.

Terror struck Chris's heart. This would be her second day here, the same day as…

Flare struck out again, this time even more fiercely fueled by fear, but he once again stopped her. She resided herself to simply going along. There was not going to be a way out of this now. She was too far in.

They entered the lab and she was set down on the table. Soon after, Chris, her human side, came in and injected the sedative into her arm. Everything in her body went numb.

The Professor came in and gave out the instructions, Chris going right along. First was the blood sample. No problems. But she knew that a muscle sample would be next. She looked pleadingly up at herself. The human Chris simply looked down. "Don't worry. This won't hurt at all." She sighed and looked straight ahead.

Chris was right; it didn't hurt at all. But she could still feel every action they made, from cutting the small incision to taking out the tight fibers of her leg muscle.

Next was the stomach sample. Even from the other side, she had hated this procedure. But now she was forced to endure it. A long, thin plastic tube was inserted into her mouth and fed down her throat. She forced herself to breathe through the nose and not gag, but that couldn't stop the feeling of violation. Her entire being was being stripped.

She looked up, seeing the human draw the tube back out. How many other Pokemon had been forced to undergo this? How many had had their entire life, their entire SPECIES, torn apart in the name of science? Surely there were better ways?

Flare lay motionless as they performed the final set of tests, the most horrific when they cut an incision into her side and "took a peak inside." She felt her organs move as they probed her inner workings. It took everything she had to sit through it all without bursting out into tears.

When they were finally finished with her, they stitched her up and took her back to the group of trees and lay her down. There was no physical pain. But the wound was deep and unhealable.

Finally out of sight, far from home and alone, with no one to help her but herself, she broke down and cried.

It was all Chris could do to keep herself from tearing down the fence and setting all of the Pokemon free. She knew that if she went that far, the lawsuits would be tremendous. But no one would miss one Growlithe that wasn't scheduled for anything in the next few days.

She met Flare at the fence to the east, the closest point to her previous home. A pokeball rested in Chris's hand. She set knelt and set the ball down for a moment. "I'm truly sorry that we've caused your kind so much trouble. I'll do everything in my power to stop it from happening again."

Flare came up and licked her face, causing Chris to laugh. "Ok, ok." She picked up the pokeball and touched it to Flare's forehead, drawing her up into it.

Then she turned to the fence. It was tall to prevent the Pokemon from escaping, but it wasn't tall enough to stop her now. She hurled the pokeball high. It soared up and then fell to the other side. As it hit the ground, it split open and Flare was once again free.

She took one look back before running off into woods. Chris had no worries. She could get home by instincts and scent.

"Chris!" She spun to find the Professor staring at her aghast. "What did you just do?! You set our only Growlithe free?! You are fired!"

"No, I'm not. Because I quit!" Chris removed her lab coat and threw it in his face. "And I intend to do the right thing."

The Professor watched her go, only speculating about what she meant by the remark.

When Chris returned home that night, she found a strange sight. The stone Eon was shattered. She thought about it for a moment; no one had broken in and there was no reason it should have suddenly been destroyed. But she didn't dwell on it. She was much too tired.

That night, she did not return to Flare. She slept her own life.

She rented a scooter the next day. Using her memory from her time as Flare, she drove four hours over rolling hills and through forests until she reached an un-named stretch of woods. She recognized the trees and the smell of pine.

Another thirty minutes walking, she spotted the cave. A large Arcanine suddenly jumped out, growling fiercely.

Chris dropped to one knee, spreading her arms outward along the ground in a show of peace. "Please. I'm not an enemy. I'm a friend."

The great beast took a step toward her when a smaller Growlithe came out and ran to her. It was Flare. She came up and rubbed against Chris with a yip.

The Arcanine barked loudly.

Flare turned to her father and barked back, almost startling even him.

Chris slowly stood. "Listen, I can't understand you, but I think you can understand me.

"I'm truly sorry for what my people have done to you. We have no right to do what we do and you have every right to hate us. But I'm here to make things better." She slowly pulled out a small video recorder. "Would you let me help you?"

The large Arcanine eyed her. Flare barked, and it seemed to completely change his attitude.

Six months later, by unanimous vote from the Pokemon League Council, all labs were closed. In their place was going to be erected new lab facilities that researched Pokemon strictly by observation.

Chris smiled as she hung the sign on the door to the lab she had previously worked at.

Helping all without any sacrifice. That IS the greater good.

**A/N: Pretty dark for a Pokemon story. Sorry if it feels like this was short and moral-driven, but this is how I felt led to write it. Please tell me your thoughts in your review!**

**Special Thanks to Felix the Eeveetrainer, my beta reader for this story.**


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